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The sun is shining again! I couldn’t believe it Monday when we went ALL DAY with no rain! I knew I had to go get in the river though, so I took my workout outside. I ran from home to the river, did some rounds of Cindy on a playground, and then jumped in that cold clear water and forgot about everything else for a bit!

I made it down there before everyone was getting out of school and work so I had the place nearly to myself. Being down there, surrounded by green life, being submerged in a life source… Man, it’s one of my favorite things.

Speaking of green life… ya like that smooth transition? 😉 Anyway, this week’s recipe is full of all kinds of good green stuff. This recipe is a variation of a simple concept that has endless possibilities. Very basically, this is a grain bowl. A grain bowl is layered with some sort of grain of your choice, a protein, and any combo of your favorite veggies! I’ve done many versions in the past, but I really love how this one turned out so here we go! I don’t go by a particular recipe when I make these so take these measurements with a grain of salt.. (or more to taste 😉 )

Coat your chicken breast in olive oil and season generously on both sides with lemon pepper seasoning. Cook it up however you like! Sometimes I’ll bake mine in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes (or until cooked through) but this time, I cooked in in a skillet on the stove. Either way… season those puppies up and make them not raw..

You should have about 2 cups of cooked grains. If you measure out two cups dry you’ll end up with way too much. Check the packaging of whatever you choose to use and it will give you proper measurements.

Rinse and drain your chickpeas. *Optional* You can saute these in a skillet to give them a bit of a toasty flavor.

The rest is easy! This amount made 4 bowls for us. Divide your grains (about 1/2 a cup per bowl), chickpeas, and chicken into 4 bowls. This will be the “hot” ingredients.

I just used zip locks for the “cold” ingredients. Divide your spinach, arugula, celery, and green onions into 4 separate containers. As for the pears, I’d suggest you leave them whole until you’re ready to eat, but you CAN pre-slice and put them in a separate container.

Serving:

HOT STUFF COLD STUFF ASSEMBLED

Heat your bowl with the “hot” stuff. Then you can assemble right in the bowl if it’s large enough. Mine aren’t so I transfer it to a plate, dump the bag of “cold” stuff on it. Add the pears, sliced avocado, and walnuts and then drizzle either with your lemon vinaigrette or just a little olive oil and lemon juice and chow down!

Like I said, the beauty of a grain bowl is that there are endless combinations. It’s easy to cook, easy to assemble, and easy to clean up. I was so happy with the way this one turned out. I know I’ll be making it again soon.

Each month we spotlight a different CFA athlete who stands out and shows just how awesome they are. What is it that makes up an Athlete of the Month? It may not be the person that finishes the fastest, Rx’s every WOD, or gets a PR every time they walk in the gym. Although we love and celebrate when those things happen, the Athlete of the Month is made up of much more than physical ability. This person shows up, gives their best every time, and then gives a little more. They are hungry to learn and always ready to do the work. They support their fellow classmates and encourage them to reach their goals. This athlete embodies what we believe the CrossFit Austin Community should be about.

Our September Athlete of the Month is Marco Ramos! Marco has been a part of the CrossFit Austin Community for about a year and a half! From day one, he’s been a happy and welcoming guy in class. He gets in here and works hard in every single class. Marco is a perfect example of using his fitness outside of the gym with all the awesome activities he does too! He’s and outdoors man of many sorts and the training he does here, helps him enjoy that even more. Marco exemplifies so many of the qualities we look for in an AOM and has shown some awesome progress in his time here. Marco, the CFA Team is proud to honor you as our September Athlete of the Month and as an awesome part of this community. Thanks for your all your hard work and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the years to come! Congratulations!

State your Name and/or Nickname please:

Marco Ramos

Words to live by?
Slow but steady wins the race.

What is your fitness background?My background is fairly new. I started my fitness journey 10 years ago. I began as a runner and completed 3 full marathons. I have done my share of workout videos such as P90X and Shaun T’s Insanity. I joined my first CrossFit gym in 2014.

How long have you been CrossFitting?4 years

Take us back to your first day ofCrossFit… How did you feel? How do you compare it to workouts today?I was lost in my first class. The coach spoke in a short hand and now makes sense. This shorthand were words to describe the work or the movements. It was the first time I saw AMRAP, EMOM, cleans, and thrusters.What’s your favorite part ofCrossFit Austin?

My favorite part is the Community. Everyone is supportive and wants to you succeed.

Current Training Goals/PRs?I am happy with slow growth. I am trying my hardest not to get injured.

What advice do you have for folks just starting out in CrossFit?I would suggest to commit for one year and attend consistently. Don’t eat before class.

What is your cheat meal go to? I don’t have a go to cheat meal. If I am going to cheat, it’s going to have plenty of calories and have no nutritional value.

How do you use your fitness outside of the gym?I use my fitness in hiking, maneuvering in a tight space when I go caving, running town lake, around the house, or opening a jar.

Tell us about a moment you felt most proud of yourself during a workout.My proudest moment in CrossFit was my first RX WOD.

If you could create a WOD and name it for yourself, what would it be?I wouldn’t know where to begin. What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside ofCrossFit?I like to explore and travel. I can dance East Coast Swing, Lindy hop, and Blues. I am learning how to cook.

Tell us something we don’t know about you…I have a level 1 sommelier, but I drink beer and spirits. I searching for the perfect Negroni recipe. I enjoy festivals such as Okterberfest. My favorite holiday is Halloween.

Hey friends! How’s everyone doing? You guys making it through all this rain? I don’t know about you, but this rainy, cloudy weather has definitely impacted my menu. I very quickly turned from cold salads and embraced the fall recipes with all the warm feelings in my heart. Y’all….. I love soups. I love stews, crockpot meals, all the cozy stuff that gives you the warm fuzzies and a full belly. I know we’re probably not really there yet and it’ll go back to just being HOT once the rain clears, but for now, I’m in it 100%.

If you haven’t heard me blabbing or seen me posting about it for weeks, 1) Pull your head out of the sand because I don’t know how you could miss my incessant reminders, and 2)…Whole Life Challenge is starting in a couple of weeks! 🙂

I’ll save you the full explanation and let you read my info post HERE, but I do want to tell you about a couple of fun additions that we will have for this challenge!

First off, we are honored to welcome Coach Dylan’s lovely girlfriend, Erika to our WLC crew. She will be graduating in the spring with her degree in nutrition and has graciously agreed to join our team as a resource to answer questions and give some informational presentations on basic nutrition (more in depth for those interested) to help us get the most out of the nutrition portion of the challenge! She’ll be at our Kick Off Info meeting// Q&A this Saturday (Sept. 15 @ 10:15 am) so if you have any questions she’d love to answer them. She’s going to be planning her talks on the things you guys want to know most, so come help us out!

Secondly, we are SO excited to test out a new service for those folks on our Whole Life Challenge team. Tim’s bother Jon, if you don’t know, is a chef. He’s currently testing out some recipes and putting together menus to offer PREPARED MEALS as an option to WLC team members! Meal prep is something we all struggle with. Even if it’s part of your weekly routine, you can still find yourself needing a little help from time to time. This beta-test will be for Whole Life Challenge members only so if you want in on the fun (and the eats), join the team!

Ok, on to the recipe! This one is compliant for all 3 nutrition levels as long as you use an adobo sauce without sugar. If you can’t find one in

*Pro-tip! If you plan ahead, Thrive Market has a ton of amazing, compliant products that don’t include a lot of the ingredients you find in regular grocery stores. Stock up before the challenge on things you use regularly like broths, sauces, etc…. it will make life so much easier!

Happy Hump Day! I hope you guys had an awesome Labor Day weekend! We spent most of the day traveling home from Arkansas (in the rain), but we got to enjoy some relaxing time at my grandmother’s ranch, fishing, doing some yard work, and chatting with her. She is going to be 98 years old next month! She still lives on her own and does a great job taking care of herself. I’m 100% certain that she’s doing so well at her age because for most of her life, she’s eaten from her own (or her neighbor’s) garden/farm and she STILL gets up every morning and moves her body. She stretches and “takes exercises” and keeps herself active physically and mentally every day. Her movements have adapted over the years, but she listens to her body and makes it a priority. She’s walking proof that longevity is achievable!

Y’all she’d kill me if she knew I was posting a picture of her in her robe, but I had to share!

Anyway, on to the recipe. This is one that’s so easy and FULL of good veggies. Because we were driving, I didn’t have my normal meal prep day, but this takes like 30 minutes to throw together and it tastes great. Even better if you can pull from your own veggie garden 😉 Enjoy!

***FOR THOSE OF YOU DOING WHOLE LIFE CHALLENGE –This is one that is SO easy to make compliant for all nutrition levels – just check the ingredients on your sausage or substitute chicken (or steak, shrimp, etc!!) if you can’t find compliant sausage.

Ingredients

1 lb Smoked Turkey or Chicken Sausage (You can also pre-cook raw sausage of your choice to add to this)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

Slice the smoked sausage into 1” rounds. Dice the sweet potatoes into small 1/2” cubes. Chop/prep the rest of your veggies to your liking/as needed.

Add the sausage, veggies and minced garlic to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian spices or your favorite spice blend. Seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss veggies with your hands until they are fully combined and coated with olive oil and spices.

Bake for appx. 20 minutes, flipping halfway. You can portion this out on it’s own or if you want to serve it over brown rice, or quinoa, even on top of a salad, it’s extremely versatile!

And…. just because I still can’t stop watching it – Here’s the friend we made this weekend 😆

Let me begin by saying, I love stuffed peppers. I’ve tried several recipes for stuffed peppers in thepast, but they’ve definitely catered more toward lunch/dinner options. The first time I made these breakfast peppers, I was hooked! This is another recipe that is so easy, you guys won’t believe it. The best part is that you can put any combo of meat/veggies you like to make it exactly how you want it.

I portioned these guys out into meal prep containers with some kale sauteed in coconut oil with a touch of sea salt. Enjoy!

Pro-Tip – LEAVE THE STEM ON THE PEPPER… The first time I did this, I cut it out…. and all my stuff fell out…. By leaving it intact, it turns the pepper into a perfect little “bowl” and keeps all your stuff in place 😉

Other helpful notes:

Try to choose peppers that will be relatively when you lay them in the dish – Less likely to spill!

Mix up your veggies, meats and cheeses as you desire — or make several different versions in the same dish and just pour the whisked eggs right over top!

These stuffed peppers keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days but aren’t great from the freezer — unless you are okay with your peppers being totally soft and mushy!

INGREDIENTS

3bell peppershalved and seeded (leave those stems on!)

6eggs

1/4cupmilk

3/4tspsalt

2tbspchopped green onion

1/3cup chopped fresh spinach

3/4cupshredded cheesedivided

cooked meat of your choice – I used sausage *I went ahead and made the whole pound. I had a little left over, but it depends on the size of your peppers…

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brown your sausage in a pan just until it is no longer pink.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt until combined

Lay your peppers in a lightly greased baking dish (whatever size works — you want them to be a little snug so they don’t move too much and spill).

Begin filling your peppers with your cooked meat, layering in your cheese, onions, and spinach (or whatever you decide to fill them with) Reserve some cheese to layer on the top to achieve a nice golden crust!

Divide your egg mixture between your peppers and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until eggs are set.

Night of Champions is our in house partner competition that offers our members a chance to compete, have some fun, and help the gym all in one night! Partners join together to give their all in this two part competition in hopes of snagging a podium spot! Don’t have a partner? Post in the members page and make a new friend! This NOC theme is “Back to School!” Grab your partner and hit the books (or the training floor 😉 )!

Wow! As many of you know, Tim and I took a trip out to San Diego last week to see my best friend and meet her amazing little baby. Juliette was born on May 26 at only 23 weeks gestation and let me tell you guys, she is a WARRIOR. This amazing girl is growing and developing like crazy. She’s now breathing without assistance, regulating her own body temp, and gaining weight every day. When we were there, she was just over 4 lbs. That may sound like nothing (and let’s be honest, she’s tiny!) but she was 1 lb 5.9 oz when she was born so that 4 lbs is incredible. Ok, ok… I’ll get to the recipe, but I HAD to share how awesome it was to get to meet this girl. <3

Ok… so because of our trip, my Sunday meal prep day was non-existent, but I was still able to whip up several things on Monday afternoon after work. Any time I travel or if my nutrition gets off track a bit, I crave GREEN. The recipe I’m sharing today is SO easy, full of green, and has awesome flavor. Give it a go!

Ingredients – This recipe will make 4 “bowls”

2 c. cooked jasmine rice

1 tbsp.oil

1.5 lb.ground turkey
.5 tsp or to taste – red chili flakes

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small jalapeno (seeded if desired), finely chopped

2 tbsp.plus 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tbsp.low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)

4 tbsp.fresh lime juice

1 tsp.brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 c.fresh cilantro

1/2 c.fresh mint

Directions

Heat your oil in a skillet and brown the ground turkey. Be careful not to overcook and dry it out. Add more oil as needed. Toss with garlic, red chili flakes, and 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger. Remove from heat and toss with 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (adding 1/4 cup water if dry).

If packing for meals, pack 4 (3) cup bowls with rice on the bottom and turkey mixture layered on top. Keep vegetable mixture and sauce in separate containers. When ready to eat, heat rice and meat, then add veggies and sauce. Add sliced avocado for some good fats!

As always, shoot me a message with any questions and let me know if you make it! Enjoy!

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